1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is improving airflow from a blower, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for improving airflow from a blower with one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Many of the hardware components that form today's complex computing systems tend to generate heat. Operating such hardware components above certain temperatures can result in decreased performance by the hardware components, total failure of the hardware components, and even irreparable damage to the hardware components. One way to counteract the heat generating nature of the hardware components is through the use of blowers that deliver cool air to hardware components. Such blowers, however, often deliver cool air through an outlet of the blower in a manner that is not uniform. Typically, the outlet velocity profile is preferenced to one side of the outlet area. As such, airflow distribution to heat sinks and other hardware components may not be ideal, especially when the heat sinks and other hardware components are placed close to the blower outlet because there is not enough flow development length available to allow for the proper flow distribution. As a result, the efficiency of the heat sinks and other hardware components is reduced and hence, the thermal performance is reduced. In addition, when the blower fails, it also tends to be a source of flow re-circulation. This back flow reduces the total airflow moving through the system.